In 1998 we ran our first trek to Arunachal Pradesh, and in 2001 Steve Berry made a further reconnaissance of this trek up into the mountains just east of the Bhutanese border. We have taken a few small groups there since then, who were very enthusiastic about this unspoilt region. Besides vast views of the hitherto largely unexplored mountains of the eastern Himalaya, the climax of the trek is reaching the large, fabled Tibetan-Buddhist monastery of Tawang. It was built between 1643–1647 on the mandate of the ‘Great Fifth’ Dalai Lama, and was the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama. Like all of Arunachal Pradesh the tribespeople in these mountains are quite unique and are predominantly Monpas and Sherdukpens. The Monpas in particular have language and architecture that is strongly akin to Bhutan. We combine this fantastically exciting trek with a gameviewing visit to Kaziranga National Park, rounded off with a touch of the old Raj in Calcutta. The Eastern Himalaya, Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh 12 Download detailed itineraries from www.himalayankingdoms.com e: info@himalayankingdoms.com Traditional bridge on the Lost Pass trek Photo: Steve Berry Arunachal Pradesh & Nagaland Himalayan Kingdoms… …was the first UK company to run a trek, in 1998, to the north-eastern Indian frontier state of Arunachal Pradesh, and in 2001 we were the first British tour operator to take a group to Nagaland. The area is slowly opening up to a small number of visitors, and we are proud to be at the forefront of this exploration. £2,695 £2,275 Dates: Thu 16 Oct – Sun 02 Nov land only Grade: Moderate On Trek: 7 days European Leader: “Ned” Kelly Nights’ Accommodation: Hotels: 6 Camping: 5 Lodges/Govt Guest House: 5 Optional: Single Room £285 Single Tent £75 Insurance: £99 (Standard Policy) Days Itinerary Duration: 18 days 1–2 Fly to Calcutta, rest –3 Fly to Tezpur, drive to Bomdilla 4–10 Trek to Tawang and drive over Sela pass 11–13 View Tawang and drive to Tezpur 14–15 game-viewing at Kaziranga 16–18 Fly to Calcutta, sightseeing, fly to London Guaranteed to run for a minimum of clients An enormous area of the Himalaya to the east of Bhutan is yet to be explored! Arunachal Pradesh and other areas of the North East Frontier Province have been closed to outsiders since the beginning of the last century. This is because the Chinese refused to ratify the border with Tibet (called the McMohan Line), set in 1914. However at the end of 1996 we were extremely excited to hear parts of this sensitive border area were to be released. Our first trek was to the village of Komsing, on the Siang River, peopled by the remote Adi Minyong tribe. It was here that Noel Williamson, political officer of the British Raj was murdered by the tribespeople, as they wrongly thought he had come to flatten their hills by bombardment. He was one of many explorers trying to discover whether the Tsang Po was one and the same as the Brahmaputra, and where they connected. We begin with a steamer ride from Dibrugarh for eight hours up the mighty Brahmaputra to Pasighat. We will then trek on good paths through jungle and forested hills to Komsing and beyond. After this we will relax with some game-viewing at Kaziranga Wildlife Park. Towards the Tsang Po Gorges, Arunachal Pradesh £2,750 £2,330 Dates: Thu 30 Oct – Sun 16 Nov land only Grade: Moderate On Trek: 7 days European Leader: John Shipton Nights’ Accommodation: Hotels: 4 Camping: 9 Lodges: 2 Planters’ Bungalow: 1 Optional: Single Room £330 Single Tent £75 Insurance: £99 (Standard Policy) Days Itinerary Duration: 18 days 1–4 Fly Calcutta, sightseeing, fly Dibrugarh –5 Steamer on Brahmaputra to Pasighat 6–12 Hill tribe trek to Komsing and beyond –13 Explore Yamne Valley, return to Pasighat –14 Steamer ride Dibrugarh, drive Kaziranga –15 game-viewing at Kaziranga 16–18 Fly to Calcutta, at leisure, fly to London Guaranteed to run for a minimum of clients 4 4 Capital City Town Airport Major peak International Border Road Railway Pass ] [

Sangtam man Photo: Dr Stirn 13 tel: 0845 330 8579 (local call rate, UK only) international tel: +44 1453 844 400 www.himalayankingdoms.com Arunachal Pradesh & Nagaland The ‘Lost Pass’ Trek, Arunachal Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh is most certainly a ‘land that time forgot’! Its Inner Line status dating back to the time of the British Raj has meant that extremely few Europeans have visited it at all. There are as many as 25 tribal groups in the state – those living in the west, near the border with Bhutan, are Buddhist, and many tribes further north are animistic. Their language has Burmese–Tibetan origins, they live in cane houses built on stilts, and long houses are used for social gatherings. They are hunters and in recent history used aconite poison for their arrow tips. This trek begins close to the Tibetan border and travels up the Yang Sang Chhu Valley, with the aim of crossing the ‘Lost Pass’. This pass leads through the mountains and back into East Siang. It should afford excellent views of the unexplored ice giants to the north and west. Steve Berry, our MD, made a reconnaissance in November 2002. Although he and Barry Bond failed to cross the pass due to bad weather, they did enter villages that had never seen Europeans before. £3,295 £2,875 Dates: Thu 02 Oct – Fri 24 Oct land only Grade: Vigorous (Part Recon) On Trek: 10 days European Leader: tbc Nights’ Accommodation: Hotels: 4 Camping: 12 Inspection bungalows: 3 Planters’ Bungalows: 2 Optional: Single Room £340 Single Tent £70 Insurance: £149 (Insurance Plus) Days Itinerary Duration: 23 days 1–4 Fly to Calcutta, sightseeing, fly to Dibrugarh –5 Steamer ferry to Pasighat 6–17 Crossing the ‘Lost Pass’ 18–19 Drive to Pasighat, rest 20–23 Ferry to Dibrugarh, fly Calcutta, fly London Guaranteed to run for a minimum of clients Nagaland has always been closed to foreigners, except for a few missionaries and British political officers who first ventured there from 1874 onwards. The territory which had a reputation for head-hunting until relatively recent times, is bounded by Assam in the west, Burma in the east and Arunachal Pradesh to the north. It is home to sixteen major tribes along with several sub tribes who wear intricately designed costumes. This unique programme undertakes some gentle trekking in the Namdapha National Park as well as the beautiful Dzoukou valley. We will visit the famous war graves in the capital of Nagaland, Kohima, and enjoy game-viewing at Kaziranga Wildlife Park. This is designed to combine some easy walking together with visits to interesting tribal villages. We are proud of the fact that in 2001 we were the first British company to take a party to visit this unique culture. Nagaland – the Forbidden Frontier £2,575 £2,155 Dates: Thu 16 Oct – Fri 31 Oct land only Grade: Gentle Day Walks: 4 days European Leader: John Edwards Nights’ Accommodation: Hotels: 5 Planters’ Bungalows: 2 Lodges: 5 Village Houses: 2 Optional: Single Room £280 Single Tent £70 Insurance: £95 (Standard Policy) Days Itinerary Duration: 16 days 1–4 Fly to Calcutta, sightseeing, fly to Dibrugarh 5–7 Day treks in Nagaland 8–10 Thengal Tea Gardens and war graves, Kohima 11–12 Khonoma and Tuophema 13–14 Drive via Kohima and Dimapur to Kaziranga 15–16 Fly to Calcutta and London Guaranteed to run for a minimum of clients 5 4 Left: Typical Naga house Right: Naga tribesman Photos: Mike Ford